LAFAYETTE - Ryan Elementary School may be closed for Thanksgiving week, but the school was alive this morning with people helping make the holidays a little better for families in need.

Students, parents and teachers all gathered to make Thanksgiving baskets for some of the less fortunate Ryan Elementary families. It's the second year the school has held the community service project.

"It's just a way to help our community and teach our children about giving and sharing with others," Principal Tobey Bassoff said.

Bassoff said she came up with the idea after seeing some families struggling during the holidays, and she said the response from the community has given her "goose bumps."

"Everyone came in and is volunteering their time," she said. "It's giving from the heart, and it really helps out the entire community. It's a win-win."

Inside the cafeteria, students and their parents went around with baskets, filling them with stuffing, veggies, pies and, of course, turkeys.

Lauren Davis filled a basket with her son, Noah, who is in kindergarten at Ryan Elementary.

"It's just a good time to remember what we have and give back," Davis said.

Bassoff said it isn't just current students and parents who have come to help. She said some graduates of Ryan Elementary -- even some college-aged ones -- have come back to fill their own baskets.

"It's not just a school, this is a community," said Maureen Keeney, who works in the school's front office.

The Saltz family was a perfect example of that. Holly is a teacher at Ryan Elementary, while her daughter Julia is a fifth grader and son Ben is an eighth grader who graduated from Ryan. All three came in to fill up baskets.

"My mom comes in so I come with her," Ben said, while Julia said she came in to "help to give to people."

"It's a great opportunity to help out people," Holly Saltz said.

Organizers said 50 to 60 families will either come to pick up their baskets or get their baskets delivered to them. Each basket also comes with a personalized card from the student who helped put it together.

As Deborah Berger was helping her son, first-grader William, spell "Thanksgiving" on his card, she said it was good to know everyone in the community was watching out for the families who have been going through some tough times.

"You always hate to see kids without food during the holidays, especially kids from our community," she said.

As he was preparing to put stickers on his card, William said he didn't even mind coming in on his week off to help out, thanks mainly to one important difference between a normal school day and helping fill baskets.